1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for employing an Internet web site to conduct business and, more particularly, to the employment of a Website to register the references of jobseekers for access to letters of recommendation by prospective employers.
2. Description of the Related Art
One aspect of the job seeking process which can be a source of delay in the hiring process is the reference list. For the jobseeker (also job seeker), updating the reference list is a constant chore and may require reprinting of the resume on expensive paper in significant numbers, leading to time consumption and added cost in the job seeking activity. Likewise, the reference provider may likely be contacted many times, becoming a source of annoyance to the reference provider. The process of contacting of the reference provider by the prospective employer can also be a significant source of delay.
There are presently in existence a number of Internet Websites which provide access by a prospective employer to obtain relevant resumes from jobseekers. Examples include America″s Talent Bank at http://WWW.atb.org., Careersite.com at http://WWW.careersite.com/, and HeadHunter.net at http://WWW.headhunter.net/ Also, many prospective employers maintain Internet Websites for receiving resumes from jobseekers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,324, issued May 26, 1998, to Hartman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,270, issued Mar. 16, 1999, to Walker et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,768, issued on Mar. 16, 1999, to McGovern et al. describe computerized systems for resume storage and retrieval, useful in an Internet system.
Internet on-line referral systems have been the subject of existing patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,871, issued on Jan. 26, 1999, to Kitain et al. describes an information delivery system wherein one or more second parties (brokerage firms) place information about a first party (a corporation) in a database for viewing by third parties (users). The depositors control who has access to the information, and where the deposit and access of information occur on separate computers in a distributed system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,980, issued May 16, 2000, to Jacobi et al., describes a computerized Internet system for recommendations of literary works. U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,374, issued Feb. 15, 2000 to Chess, D. describes a computerized system for generating trusted descriptions of products wherein one or more second parties place information about a first party's product in a node of a network for view by a third party and wherein the database controls the information released to the general public. U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,149, issued on Feb. 22, 2000, to Dykstra et al. describes an analysis of service providers wherein one or more second parties (credit bureaus) place information about a first party (a loan applicant) in a computer for inspection by a third party (a lender), and wherein the information is operated on to present an evaluation.
The present invention is a system and methodology embodied in an Internet Website and associated hardware and software. The problem to overcome, as discussed above, is that of a person, such as a consultant, who, by nature of his frequently changing positions has his references checked repeatedly. The number of times his references are called becomes somewhat annoying to the reference givers. The consultant also has the burden of giving references for a number of his associates, leading one to the realization that the same questions are asked and answered each time a reference is checked. Contacting the references always seems to be a problem, i.e. endless telephone tag.
The jobseekers cannot be hired without the references, so both the employer and prospective employee are held up until the process is completed. The consultant reasons that if the references are readily available in a formatted, machine-readable form that recruiters, employers and jobseekers would all benefit. One of the most inefficient, time consuming and costly parts of the hiring process would be obviated.
The inventive Website operates on the basis that there are three categories of potential users, recruiters/employers, jobseekers, and Reference Sources. The jobseeker is assigned a user identification (ID) and password which allows him access to his demographic information and list of Reference Sources. The website assigns a unique user ID and password for each Reference Source Next, the Reference Sources enter the assigned User ID and password, and are asked to answer a series of questions about the jobseeker. This is basically the same as responding to a phone call, but at the Reference Sources' convenience.
The jobseeker then gives the recruiter/employer an account number, and that person can enter the site to retrieve the references. The Recruiter/Employer can always randomly verify one or more of the references via telephone, or purchase the complete reference text right off the Website. The reference documents selected are formatted and e-mailed immediately to the Recruiter/Employer.
Advantages of the Website are that the reference giver has time to consider his answer and think of examples and situations that typify the jobseeker's actions and capabilities. Since the recruiter or prospective employer doesn't need to take notes during a telephone conversation and type them up, the inventive Website is a faster, easier, more accurate, and less expensive way to ensure reliable references. References are available almost instantly, twenty-four hours a day, so there is no delay in the hiring process.
The cost of using the inventive website is not passed to the jobseeker or to the Reference Source, but to the prospective Recruiter/Employer. A list of references available is available on the Website cost free. If an employer wants the detail of the reference, they pay a very nominal fee, certainly less than their time and phone bill, for obtaining basically the same answers.
The Inventive Website will be useful to the Recruiter/Employer as an alternative to them setting up their own Website, because of they need a reference only once. The jobseeker, however, may want multiple employers to view the references. Use of the inventive Website eliminates multiple telephone calls to his references, along with the other advantages presented above.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a repository for jobseekers' references on the Internet solving the aforementioned problems is desired.